Paper and packaging products are used extensively in all industries and the demand for these products is increasing worldwide. Asia pulp and paper products (APP) with the trade name Sinarmas is one of the largest pulp and paper manufacturing companies in the world, supplying a wide range of products to customers worldwide. The business manufactures a wide range of paper, tissue paper, and packaging products to cater to the requirements of its customers. The company has its headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, and factories in China and Indonesia. The company markets its products in more than 150 countries worldwide.
History
APP was originally founded by Eka Tjipta Widjaja, a Chinese immigrant in Indonesia in 1972. The company was named Pabrik Kertas Tjiwi Kimia and initially had Taiwanese investors. In addition to its factories in Indonesia, the company also established paper mills in China to cater to the increasing demand for its products. The company was listed is the Singapore stock exchange as Asia pulp and paper products and New York Stock Exchange. During the Asian crisis, the company defaulted on its debt and moved its headquarters back to Jakarta. The company agreed to repay part of the debt in Indonesia over a period of the next 10 years. After the death of Widjaja in 2019 at the age of 98, the company is now run by the grandchildren of Widjaja
Profile
The company which produces packaging, paper pulp and paper has a combined capacity of more than 20 million tonnes annually. Approximately 13 million tonnes of APP’s products are manufactured in Indonesia and 6.4 million tonnes in China. The company operates five of the largest paper mills in Indonesia. The company is planning to grow by expanding the capacity of its existing paper mills and acquiring new paper mills. For a better future, the company is innovating, developing new products. Customer satisfaction is a major priority for the company, to help it expand its share in the paper market worldwide. To understand the local market better to increase its sales, the company has its office in many countries
Sustainability
Paper manufacturers worldwide are often accused of being responsible for deforestation, adversely affecting the environment, by activists. Hence APP tried overcoming this problem by announcing its zero deforestation plan. The company will be sourcing all the timber used in its paper mills from plantations so that no deforestation was caused. The company has a forest conservation policy and does not source wood from suppliers following the slash and burn policy, which allegedly caused the record-breaking haze in south Asia in 2015. The company claims that it only uses wood whose source can be traced in its paper mills and is not responsible for illegal logging.
The company is working closely with environmental organizations to achieve green certifications. APP is providing complete details of its supply chain so that these organizations can verify that the company is sourcing raw material for manufacturing its products from eco-friendly suppliers. These suppliers are audited to ensure that they implement the best practices for forest management, fire prevention and are not involved in burning forests
